40 hikers rescued; were lost on Ky. mountain

WHITESBURG, Ky. — Officials say more than three dozen Pennsylvania college students visiting Kentucky for a mission trip are all safe after becoming lost when a sightseeing mountain hike unexpectedly stretched into the night.

Rescuers were able to find them after an hours-long effort in rough terrain and freezing temperatures.

A spokeswoman at Appalachian Regional Hospital in Whitesburg said Friday one rescued woman was still there and in good condition.

A spokesman for La Salle University in Philadelphia says the group was made up of 37 students and three staff members. He says they were spending spring break helping build houses in the Harlan, Ky., area about a half-hour from Whitesburg.

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Rescue workers say the group got disoriented while hiking in the Bad Branch Falls nature preserve Thursday and it started to get dark.